Blacklisting (2)

Florence Eshalomi: You have said that, “The law is clear about protections for whistleblowing and gives employees who believe they have been unfairly treated for blowing the whistle the right to take their case to an employment tribunal. I stand shoulder to shoulder with whistle blowers and condemn any employer who practices blacklisting or issues threats against whistle blowers.” How many companies Transport for London contracts or sub-contracts with have been taken to an employment tribunal due to blacklisting? Of those cases, how many times were companies found guilty of blacklisting? Of those companies, how many had their TfL contracts or sub-contracts removed as a result?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2019/9253.

Facial recognition and private companies (2)

Sian Berry: On 24 June 2019, The Evening Standard ran an article about a company called Wireless CCTV that is developing facial recognition software for body-worn cameras. Has the Metropolitan Police Service had any meetings or communication with this firm in the context of this new technology?

The Mayor: The team in the MPS responsible Live Facial Recognition (LFR) has confirmed that there has been no recent contact with Wireless CCTV and that the MPS has no formal arrangement or contract with the company. All commercial contract decisions are subject to internal governance procedures and independently overseen by MOPAC.

Independent evaluation report on live facial recognition trials (2)

Sian Berry: Is the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) decision not to exercise its right to reply to the independent evaluation of the live facial recognition trials, which was undertaken by the University of Essex Human Rights Centre and published on 3 July 2019, an endorsement of the report's findings and conclusions?

The Mayor: No, this was not an endorsement of the report’s findings and conclusions by the Met. The Met has taken legal advice throughout the trial period and maintains that it had a legal basis for the use of LFR during the trial.
In its recent report, the London Policing Ethics Panel concluded that there is a need for the police to build and maintain the public’s trust in their use of new technologies and sets out recommendations and conditions to help achieve this and that MOPAC and the MPS should lobby Government to strengthen regulation of new technology. We will continue to work closely with the Met and ensure the panel’s recommendations are addressed before further deployment.

Crimes involving “sugar babies” and “sugar daddies”

Susan Hall: For each of the years July 16 to June 17, July 17 to June 18 and July 18 to June 19, please can you provide the number of crimes reported by “sugar babies” about “sugar daddies” broken down by crime type?
For each of the years July 16 to June 17, July 17 to June 18 and July 18 to June 19, please can you provide the number of crimes reported by “sugar daddies” about “sugar babies” broken down by crime type?

The Mayor: "Sugar daddies" and "sugar babies" are terms used colloquially to imply an age difference between two intimate partners that is of financial benefit to the younger individual.
These are not termsthe Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) use in crime reports and as such, the MPS does not hold the data requested.

Blacklisting (1)

Florence Eshalomi: You have said that, “Blacklisting is unlawful under The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 and any contractor who breaches those Regulations can be deemed ineligible under procurement regulation to bid for the Greater London Authority's contracts. The GLA will invoke this legislation where appropriate to ensure it does not contract with organisations who engage in blacklisting.” How many companies has Transport for London deemed ineligible under the Blacklists Regulations?

The Mayor: I am determined to ensure that employees of suppliers to the GLA Group are treated fairly: fair terms of employment and fair terms of pay. The GLA Group Responsible Procurement Policy sets out how the GLA Group is committed to pioneering socially, environmentally and economically sustainable procurement to deliver improved quality of life and better value for money. The policy reflects best practice and demonstrates that the GLA’s procurement activities meet all relevant legislative requirements, including the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Social Value Act 2012 and the Equality Act 2010.
Transport for London (TfL) has no record of deeming any company ineligible to bid for contracts under blacklisting regulations. Accordingly, there is no record of any contractor or sub-contractor being subject to legal proceedings and no TfL contracts have been suspended.